"Cities, Design & Evolution offers and engaging and original narrative that interprets planning philosophies from Modernism to New Urbanism, organic theories from Patrick Geddes to Le Corbusier, and evolutionary thinking from Charles Darwin to Richard Dawkins. The book develops a new evolutionary perspective that recognises both the 'designed' and 'organic nature of cities, and provides a rational and impetus for fresh approaches to urban planning and design."--BOOK JACKET."

"The city of Detroit constitutes one of the great monuments to urban decay, an unmistakable sacrifice to the globalization of labor and capital and the nomadic behavior of economies, technologies, and industries. Yet this city forms a powerful ground upon which to critique the problems of the hyper economy of the suburban matrix, and to sow the seeds for new urban thoughts on a post-capitalist future.
Summary Urban Ecology: Detroit and Beyond, a compilation of projects and essays on Detroit and many other moving cities around the world, projects Detroit, and its issues, into existing or developing global contexts."--BOOK JACKET."

"Making Cities Work showcases 28 initiatives from around the world that have enhanced the quality of urban life. The projects are presented in three sections, each tackling a different area of the urban design challenge. The first, 'Arriving in the City', profiles some of the world's most successful gateways and transport interchanges. Cities are, by their very nature, not just places where people live, but destinations that many more visit for a brief period, and first impressions count. Summary:The second section, 'Enjoying the City', highlights the ingenious approaches that can be taken to parks, shopping malls and public spaces, demonstrating that it is a large number of small-scale amenities that make a city fun. Finally, 'Getting Around the City' addresses what is the biggest challenge for most urban leaders - how to move people around in safety, comfort and speed.
This is the area where political trade-offs are at their most acute - the pedestrian versus the car, pollution versus speed of travel, buildings versus roads."--BOOK JACKET.